


Lorem ipsum

by courtney_beth



Category: Big Bang Theory
Genre: Bodyswap, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-30
Updated: 2010-08-30
Packaged: 2017-10-11 08:52:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/110601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/courtney_beth/pseuds/courtney_beth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An accident with a piece of laboratory equipment causes Sheldon and Leonard to switch bodies! They enlist the help of an unlikely source (Barry Kripke) to assist with machine repairs, while Penny helps Sheldon get ready to go in Leonard's place to a research fund raising gala.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lorem ipsum

**Author's Note:**

> This story was submitted as part of the BigBangBigBang community on LiveJournal.

**Prologue.**

 

The halls of Cal Tech had all but cleared out for summer break, with only a handful of people remaining in the research building. Nearly all of the offices were dark, their doors were shut and the lights would remain turned off for the next few weeks. The classrooms had already been cleaned for the last time this school year and wouldn't be used until a new group of students started next month for the new semester.

In the campus cafeteria, the tables were neatly lined up on the far wall, with the chairs stacked nearby in groups of four. Only one table remained in the center of the room - two of Cal Tech's physicists were deep in discussion while enjoying an afternoon snack.

 

At precisely 3pm every Friday, Dr. Sheldon Cooper would have a small cup of chocolate yogurt with exactly 42 rainbow sprinkles. While his coworkers and students had already abandoned the university, Sheldon enjoyed his afternoon snack with the company of Leonard. It was their typical routine for Frozen Yogurt Friday.

"Are you sure you don't want to see it?" Leonard asked again. He stared intently as he watched Sheldon eat his yogurt. Another part of their routine - while Sheldon would eat his yogurt, Leonard would watch with jealousy as Sheldon indulged in his treat. Leonard hated his lactose intolerance; what he wouldn't give for one bite of the cold, tasty treat without the repercussions of flatulence or an upset stomach.

"Leonard, Dr. Gablehauser explicitly told the entire department that we were not to enter that room under any circumstances," he paused to take another small bite. "I do not think we can afford another incident after being put on probation for the retribution we pulled on Kripke earlier this semester."

Sheldon watched as Leonard winced slightly, the wrath of Gablehauser still fresh from that day just a few weeks before. It still wasn't enough to dissuade him.

"But Sheldon!" Leonard complained. "Don't you want to know what equipment the university purchased with the grant money?"

Sheldon blinked twice before taking his final bite of yogurt. "Am I correct to assume that your obsession with this forbidden fruit will only dissipate if I were to go along with this idea of yours?"

"Yes."

"Very well then." Sheldon stood up from his chair and let out a small sigh. He begrudgingly agreed. "Alright, let's go to the research laboratory before campus security shows up."

 

* * * * *

Sheldon and Leonard's journey to the research laboratory didn't take too much time. As they took the steps up to the third floor, they pondered as to what type of equipment could have been purchased by the university. The boys rarely made it to this floor of the research building; their line of physics focused less on the applied and more on the theoretical.

 

When they rounded the corner to room 303, Sheldon stopped dead in his tracks. A "DO NOT ENTER" sign taped to the door, surrounded by two rows of caution tape.

"Obviously we are not supposed to enter," Sheldon pointed to the sign, ignoring Leonard's eye rolling and loud sigh of frustration. "Do not enter signs typically are placed on doors of facilities where-in the people putting up the signs clearly to not wish people to enter those facilities."

Sheldon took two steps forward to jiggle the door handle, showing Leonard that the door was locked and there would be no way to enter the room.

"Well, Leonard, thank you for your time, but obviously this was a wasted endeavor," he said. "Now if you will excuse me, I have work to do."

Sheldon turned to leave but was interrupted.

click.

Sheldon's eyes returned to Leonard, who was smiling wide. "You had the key this entire time?" Sheldon questioned.

"Remember when Leslie and Howard used to sneak off during lunch?"

Sheldon nodded.

".. well," Leonard paused as he allowed Sheldon to put two-and-two together.

"Are you suggesting that this is the room they snuck off to?" Sheldon asked. He gulped as Leonard held up the key ring - exposing one of Howard's favorite charms, feeling the color drain from his face. "This news is most displeasing. I hope this laboratory has been sufficiently sanitized before the new equipment was installed."

 

The lights automatically clicked on as they entered the laboratory. Sheldon and Leonard looked around, taking in their surroundings. The stark white and barren walls were not as bright as the piece of machinery placed on a grouping of laboratory tables in the room's center.

Leonard and Sheldon had been debriefed that testing with the new molecular atom splicer would commence at the start of the next semester. Gablehauser commented that several of the University's Finest would be selected to work with the grant money on the project. ("All applicants should submit the survey of interest.") Both Leonard and Sheldon had signed up to work on the project; however results of the team wouldn't be announced until after the break.

There was something appealing about being the first to try out the lab equipment. Leonard was familiar with the policies of Cal Tech - machinery was used on a first-come, first served basis with all premium time slots taken far in advance. By the time he would get to use the machines for his experiments, the exteriors were scratched, the calibrations were off, and there would be residue in the testing areas. The possibility of using a machine before anyone else made this adventure much more exciting.

Leonard approached the table slowly, taking in the beauty of the machine as it sparkled in the fluorescent lighting. He walked around the table twice, taking note of every curve and knob on the machine. The metal was polished perfectly, not tarnished by fingerprints or experiments gone awry.

It was so beautiful.

And Leonard couldn't wait to get his hands on it.

His hands gracefully stroked the knobs and buttons and he observed the machinery up close, fiddling with the controls as he attempted to find the power switch. He looked across the machine at Sheldon, who was deep in thought, pondering the same thing.

"How do you turn this thing on?" Leonard asked. He looked back down at the controls, puzzled as to how to make it work.

Sheldon hummed softly as he thought out loud, seconds later pointing to a plug and an empty electrical socket. Once the machine was plugged in, his eyes quickly darted to the power pack and warning labels - finding the switch.

One swift click of the power switch and the machine lit up like a Christmas tree.

Sheldon turned his attention back to Leonard as he watched him fiddle with the knobs and buttons on his side of the machine. The motor hummed softly as it warmed up, making the otherwise empty room feel a bit more vibrant and full of life. While both were uncertain how the atom splitter actually worked, Sheldon could see that Leonard was clearly just, for lack of better phrase, fucking around with the machine.

Sheldon huffed and puffed as he watched Leonard attempt to set up a test run. After observation for about a minute, Sheldon thought he had a good idea of how the laser would work from the machine. Leonard, as usual (according to Sheldon), was acting stubborn and did not want to ask for help.

"Good lord, Leonard," Sheldon finally said as he reached across the machine. He fingers pushed Leonard's away from the knobs and he began twisting and turning them to different increments. "You move these buttons," he paused his thought as he precisely did so, "and turn that dial."

Once completed he looked up at Leonard for approval, but only saw Leonard's face scrunched up with doubt.

"I don't know if that's right…"

Sheldon dismissed Leonard's concerns, maintaining (as always) his personal belief of being correct. "Please," he said with an eye roll. "I have a 187 IQ and two Ph.D. degrees. I think you will see that I can figure out how a machine works by just looking at the parts. I dare you to try to prove my solution false."

Leonard shook his head, moving the buttons and dials back to his original positions. He assured Sheldon that he had the machine calibrated just fine. His eyes moved to the empty metal platform at the front of the machine. He abandoned his efforts on the dials as he patted down the pockets of his jeans and jackets to find something to use for a test subject. He removed a wadded napkin filled with gummy bears from his jacket, pleased with himself for remembering to bring a sample to test. He moved over to the platform and gently placed the bears on the metal surface.

Leonard turned back to the controls, only to find Sheldon tinkering with the dials once more - returning them to what he assumed were the proper calibrations. Leonard frowned as he stepped back to the control panel, asking Sheldon what he was doing.

"Fixing your mistake," Sheldon noted. "Again." He pointed to a series of blinking lights on the back power supply. "You see, when you had your calibrations, these lights were in the orange and green range. By my calculations, you want these to be in the red zone."

Sheldon walked back around the table so that he was opposite Leonard. "Furthermore, you set the dials to a setting of four, three, and eight respectively, which will only give you enough power to barely get a charge to the laser. You need to at least have the first two set at five and six if you even want to see any change on your subject…" he paused and pointed to the metal platform. "Your gummy bears."

Leonard groaned in frustration as Sheldon once again insisted on being correct, unable to even give him just an opportunity before he was dismissed. He ignored Sheldon's advice and moved the dials back to what he felt were the correct positions. Leonard looked up at Sheldon's face to see his response as the colored lights switched back to the orange and green range.

In the midst of their argument, Leonard and Sheldon hadn't noticed the atom splicer's humming increasing with intensity and activity, expelling more heat than just moments before. And like the machine's activity, Sheldon and Leonard's argument was heating up with excitement as they continued to argue over the proper calibrations.

"Why do you even care if the machine is calibrated correctly?" Leonard asked, a bit annoyed with Sheldon's holier-than-thou attitude. "You didn't even want to come with me in the first place."

Blood boiling and reaching their maximum frustration levels, both Leonard and Sheldon reached for the knobs and turned them in opposite directions, not breaking eye contact from one another. In an instant, the machine over heated and shot one small laser toward the gummy bears, while the force from the machine sent an electrical shock to both Leonard and Sheldon, causing them to lose their balance and fall to the floor.

They both landed with a thud.

Smoke drifted from the vents of the atom splicer, with the machine shutting itself down after a few seconds from overheating. The air was cloudy and the smoke made it difficult to see and breathe.

As Sheldon regained his senses, his first thought was wishing he had worn proper safety gear. The first rule learned in experimentation was to always be properly protected and he had forgotten in the excitement of a beautiful piece of equipment. He coughed a few times and rubbed his eyes, unable to see anything in the room.

He felt a bit disoriented.

He looked around the room, but everything appeared to be fuzzy - a bit off. He realized that he was sitting on the floor of the laboratory, but had no recollection of falling down.

"I told you that you were wrong," Sheldon finally commented, only stopping short to clear his voice with a cough. "I told you…"

He paused.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Sheldon glanced down at his hands and noticed that instead of his long and lanky limbs, he was met with smaller, plumper fingers, and thick wrists. He then was aware that his clothes felt heavier on his body, especially with longer sleeves.

When had he put on a jacket? He looked at his arms and tried to remember when he had last put on his jacket.. and a sweatshirt.

What?

Instinctively, Sheldon raised his fingers up to his face. He felt the start of a five o'clock shadow, yet he knew he wouldn't have one of those unless he hadn't shaved since yesterday morning. He blinked twice before moving his hands to his eyes. They widened as he felt a pair of plastic black frames fall on to his nose, allowing his vision to return to normal.

An uncomfortable feeling sunk in his stomach as he began to put the pieces together.

"No… No… " he said, the panic in his voice obvious. He coughed once more as he looked around at his surroundings. "LEONARD!?"

There was a pause before he heard a familiar voice. "Sheldon?"

Sheldon looked up from his spot on the ground. He saw that he was literally looking at himself standing over his body. How could this be? What was going on?

By now the smoke had mostly wafted about the room, leaving the atom splicer as a beacon of hope in the center of the laboratory. Sheldon propped himself off the floor and took a couple of steps to look at his reflection.

But it was not what he had hoped.

Sheldon let out a blood-curling scream of panic.

"Perhaps my mother was right," Sheldon said with fear, his voice trembling. "Hell does exist and I am going to be Leonard Hofstadter for all eternity."

 

* * * *

 

**Chapter 01**

Leonard was thankful that he had perfected the skill of remaining calm in an emergency. In the years that he had known Sheldon, he was typically the person that had to be the voice of reason when Sheldon went into panic-mode.

Today was no exception.

Talking Sheldon down from this ledge exhausted much of his remaining energy, especially since this was one of the worst freak-out sessions that Leonard had witnessed from Sheldon. Sheldon's hysterics and hyperventilating had come to a stop about a minute later, giving Leonard the opportunity to observe the damage done to the atom splicer.

Leonard found that adjusting to a new body was awkward at first. He had gained nearly nine inches in height, longer limbs and a different body mass. His perspective was different, too, and for the first time since he was seven years old he had perfect vision without the aid of eye glasses. He wiggled his fingers, long and lean like his arms, then brushed his fingers through his hair and felt the short brown wisps glide through his fingers, a welcome relief from the wavy, thick locks of his old hair.

He stumbled the first two steps he took in Sheldon's body, quickly noting that his new stride was definitely longer. A few more steps and Leonard easily adjusted. The strangest thing for him were the clothes on his body - much lighter than the layers he would usually dress in, and to his astonishment the plaid pants Sheldon always wore were surprisingly comfortable and didn't make the swishing noise his khakis would make when he'd take a few steps.

Leonard noticed that with a bigger stride it didn't take as long to walk around the atom splicer to check the damage. From what he could gather from his limited knowledge of the machine - the exterior of the machine wasn't in terrible condition, but the inside circuits were likely to have been fried.

 

Guilt filled Leonard's thoughts as the reality of the situation sunk in. He knew he had neither the expertise nor experience to be handling equipment worth nearly half-a-million dollars, especially without permission or supervision from the department. Hindsight was clearly 20/20 and he cursed under his breath at his inability to be patient and wait two weeks to play with the machine.  
Leonard shook the negative thoughts from his mind, turning his attention to his gummy bears on the specimen platform. He took a few steps to examine the gummy bears up close and from what he could gather the gummy bears hadn't moved or changed their positions as he had left them moments before.

He found the scenario most curious, especially since Leonard clearly remembered seeing a laser shoot toward the platform. He tentatively reached out his right hand to touch the gummy bears, maybe even eat one to see if anything had happened to them in the process. But he quickly pulled his arm back, afraid, afraid they would burn his fingers after being exposed to the laser. He gave a look to his hand once more, then back to the gummy bears, pausing as he thought about the repercussions of actually touching one. When he couldn't think of a reason to not do it, he preceded to lightly graze his fingers against the pile.

Leonard's mouth turned to a small smile as he realized they still felt like regular gummy bears, with no damage done to the exterior of his snack. Taking in a deep breath, he did what any hungry and curious scientist would do - throw caution to the wind, grab a gummy bear, and eat it.

As part of Frozen Yogurt Friday, Leonard was very familiar with the gummy bears from the cafeteria. He usually started with the red bears, slowly moving his way through the color spectrum so as not to confuse his taste buds. His face scrunched up in disgust as he chewed what he assumed would taste like cherry... instead tasted like lime.

He spit the gummy bear from his mouth, confused as to what was going on. He repeated the process, instead selecting a white gummy bear from the platform - only to repeat the same result. What should have tasted like pineapple instead had a cherry flavoring.

 

A hypothesis began to form in the back of his mind, with his curiosity compelling him to continue with the experiment. He placed two more gummy bears into his mouth and chewed - finally concluding the same results: the gummy bears appeared to have retained their shape and coloring, but their inside flavorings had changed. Leonard was confident that his hypothesis was solid, having strange parallels to his current situation with Sheldon.

He turned his attention from the platform and back to Sheldon, who was now poking at his face and grabbing at his hair. Leonard broke Sheldon from his concentration and urged him to join him at the platform.

"I think I know what happened," Leonard said with confidence.

"What?"

Leonard thought of the best way to tell Sheldon of his findings, but settled on Sheldon discovering it for himself with a bit of guidance. His hands lifted the napkin full of gummy bears to the pile of gummy bears, and held them in front of Sheldon.

"Try one of these," Leonard said, though it came out more as an order than a suggestion.

Sheldon's eyebrow raised in wonder. "You are asking me to eat something that was touched by other hands, wadded into a napkin, and rested upon laboratory equipment while used in an experiment?"

Leonard rolled his eyes, his patience wearing thin. He shoved the napkin once again in front of Sheldon. "Seize the day."

"That does not negate the fact that you touched those!"

Leonard sighed, shoving the napkin once again at Sheldon. "Carpe diem!"

"Saying it in Latin doesn't make it more persuasive," Sheldon protested.

"Just take a damn gummy bear!" Leonard shouted, continuing to hold the napkin in front of Sheldon.

Sheldon shrugged while he reluctantly grabbed a green gummy bear from Leonard's pile, making a comment under his breath as to how weird it was to be offered something from himself. He gave a slight squeak as he placed it into his mouth, chewing five times before his face scrunched up. A taste of orange graced Sheldon's tongue, when it should have been a lime flavoring from the gummy bear.

Sheldon looked at Leonard as he contemplated what had just happened. Instinctively, Leonard handed Sheldon another gummy bear - and seconds later Sheldon arrived at the same conclusion Leonard had reached moments before.

"The gummy bears are the same on the outside, but have different insides," Sheldon said slowly, trying to collect his thoughts. "So it's possible that what ever happened to us also happened with the gummy bears."

Leonard nodded in agreement with Sheldon's words, looking down at his new reflection in the atom splicer. He watched as Sheldon's reflection stared back at him, mimicking his mouth movements as he spoke.

"It appears that we have reached our own Freaky Friday scenario." Leonard paused for a moment to look up at his own face (Sheldon's new face) looking at him with intrigue, eager to hear the remainder of his thought. "Somehow we have managed to switch bodies and it has something to do with this machine."

click.

The door to the laboratory opened, leaving any moment of relief felt by Sheldon and Leonard pushed aside. They watched as Barry Kripke bolted inside, halting his sprint from what appeared from the other side of the building. Barry panted slightly as he looked around the room, the smell of singed wire lingering in the air.

Instinctively, he asked if Sheldon and Leonard were okay. Sheldon and Leonard merely nodded their heads, unable to speak in fear of being discovered. Everything was happening too fast - another hurdle thrown into the mix before they could discuss their options and how to rectify their situation.

Barry gave the room a quick glance making sure nothing was damaged or broken. Save for a bit of haze in the air caused by the smoke and the smell of singed wire, the room had not been damaged. He then did a double-take, realizing that Sheldon and Leonard were in the laboratory - confused as to how they were in a place they were not suppose to be.

"So what bwings you down to the wab, Coopah?" Barry looked directly at Leonard, brows furrowed in confusion. He turned his attention back to the atom splicer, approaching it for a closer look.

Leonard, meanwhile, unsuccessfully attempted to open his mouth, freezing as Barry stopped in front of the machine. As if on cue, the machine made a loud sizzling sound in front of Barry, causing his face to drain of all color, and his eyes widening in surprise. Barry gave the machine a quick glance from top to bottom, letting the reality of the situation sink in - the machine was broken. He slowly turned his head from the machine to Leonard and Sheldon, finding it difficult to string words together to make a sentence, a tone of panic in his stutterings and an increase in his breathing patterns

A few seconds passed as Barry was able to breathe, his expression sour and staring more intensely at Sheldon and Leonard with a condescending look of his face. "What happened to the machine befah I got herah?" Not even the sense of urgency in Barry's words could compel Sheldon or Leonard to volunteer the information to Barry.

 

Barry looked at both Sheldon and Leonard for a moment before turning his attention to Leonard - "Coopah, why don't you go firwst."

Leonard and Sheldon gave a quick glance to one another, their facial expressions communicating that they both had the same idea - they had to come clean. The truth was about to come out because, really, there was no plausible explanation for the mess they had made.

"I'm not so sure you want him to explain the situation," Leonard spoke, hearing Sheldon's voice coming from his mouth.. "He's barely come to terms with the fact that he's not Sheldon."

Barry's eyebrow raised in wonder as he let out a laugh. "Nice twai, Coopah." He gave another half-chuckle, staring more intently in Leonard's face. "I'm not falwing foah one of your bazingas."

Leonard knew right away that Barry was not believing any of the words he spoke, and that he would have to try harder to have him understand the seriousness of this problem. "This isn't a trick," Leonard assured him, pointing in the direction of the atom splicer. He watched as Barry's eyes traveled to the machine and back to Leonard. "I'm not Sheldon. I'm Leonard." Leonard paused again to point at Sheldon for emphasis. "He's Sheldon."

Barry's eyes wavered between the atom splicer and Leonard and Sheldon for a few moments, processing the information that he had just been told. There was no way this situation could happen, right? After all, this only happened in science fiction; or maybe in television shows when the writers run out of plot lines; and hey, wasn't there a Disney movie that focused on this trope? His mind raced around the concept for a moment, trying to absorb the information - the broken machine; the smoke; the unbelievable confessions.

In the midst of the unbelievable was the plausible.

What if they were telling the truth?

It suddenly made sense.

"Well fuck me wunning!" Barry exclaimed, wide eyed and surprised.

"It was a bigger surprise for us when we found out," Sheldon finally piped in, glancing back down at his body. "I never thought that I would see the world from this angle after 11 years of age."

Leonard ignored Sheldon's insult, focusing his attention to the situation at hand. Now that Barry was in on the secret, it was time to come clean on the details. He explained to Barry how he had convinced Sheldon to see the machine; how he snuck into the room with the key; and then how they fought over the buttons on the machine, resulting in their transformation.

Barry let out a sigh as the information sunk in. "Do you guys even know what this machine does?" He watched as Leonard and Sheldon shook their heads, admitting they were clueless. "This machine spwits atoms and wearranges DNA pahticles between objects. Dr Gablehauser put me in charge of pweparing the machine foah the start of the wesearch pwoject, and that involved keeping nosy minds away fwom the unit."

He watched as Sheldon and Leonard turned their eyes from Barry, similar to when a kid would get caught doing something forbidden. It seemed the situation progressively worsened, guilt and uneasiness being felt by all parties involved. Barry looked back at the machine for a moment and then looked directly at Leonard and Sheldon.

"This is an experwimental piece of equipment - and I am uhltimately wesponsible foah it," Barry said slowly. He took two steps closer to Leonard and Sheldon as he emphasized his next point. "We have wess than a week to figurah out how to fix the pwoblem or we're scwewed!"

 

*******

**Chapter 02**

It surprised Leonard to discover how quickly personal differences could be put aside for the greater good. He watched as Sheldon and Barry reached a truce in their prank war, deciding to instead focus their energies of fixing the problem at hand. Even more surprising was Sheldon's invitation to Barry, inviting him back to his apartment to discuss the process of fixing the machine and returning him and Leonard back to their original bodies.

"I find it would be easier to discuss such matters in a private setting away from singed wires and defunct equipment," Sheldon explained to Barry, as he left the laboratory. "We'll meet you at our place in about an hour, which should be enough time for you to look over the machine and drive through traffic?"

Barry agreed, which is how he found himself sitting in the side chair in the boys' living room.

"What is your prognosis?" Leonard asked, sitting in his usual seat on the couch. "Will you be able to get the machine fixed?"

Barry shrugged. "The machine can be fixed, but it's going to take time to get the parts owdered and to do the wabor. Even I am not sure how to fix the eqwuipment and it'll take a few days to make sure it works before we attempt to wectify your situation."

Sheldon twitched and shifted uneasily in his spot, realizing it just wasn't the same. "What do you think we should do in the mean time?"

"We will all be in twouble if any of this weaks out to the university or outside of this woom," Barry explained. "I'm wesponsbile foah that machine and you guys weren't suppose to be in that woom. We need to keep things as normal as possible," he paused to look at the two sitting uncomfortably on the couch. "That means you guys will have to pwetend to be the other until I get the machine fixed."

Sheldon frowned as Leonard's mouth curled into a cruel smile upon realizing what this suggestion meant.

"Out of the question," Sheldon immediately said. "There is no guarantee that this will actually work."

"Coopah, it is our ownwe option at the moment...."

Sheldon looked from Barry to Leonard, letting out a sigh - he knew it was a losing battle and, frankly, he didn't have the energy to fight it. It was clear to him that appearances would have to be kept up for this to work and not much could be done until the machine could be repaired. Against his better judgment, Sheldon agreed to the idea - and before he knew it Leonard had jumped up from his side of the couch and shoved Sheldon from his prized spot.

 

He watched with jealously as Leonard sunk into his spot, and in his former body nonetheless. Leonard's body snuggled into the cushion, easily sinking into every curve and grove of the couch that had been worked in during the last four years. And in a few seconds he began to see things from Sheldon's point of view - the seat did have a good view of the television; the cushion was comfortable; and he wasn't either too hot nor cold.

As he relaxed into the cushions, Leonard turned his head slowly to see how Sheldon was holding up on the other end of the couch. He watched as Sheldon turned his head to face him, his own reflection staring back at him. For Leonard it was weird to see his own face scrunch up, his brows furrowing together and lips pressing together.

He'd never seen Sheldon so angry before.

"I see that because of your mistake and error in judgment that I must suffer yet again by being tossed out of my own spot," Sheldon said coolly. "It's bad enough that I'm stuck in this body and may never return back to my own."

Leonard's smile faded from his face as the conversation heated up. The little jabs here and there about the conversation had gone too far and he was frankly tired of it. He snapped. With a rush of adrenaline he stood up from the couch and laid into Sheldon verbally, venting all of his frustration on his friend.

Barry, meanwhile, felt as though he had a front-row seat to the crazy show. He sipped his Diet Coke and watched on as the insult exchanges turned to smacks and slaps, knowing that he knew he had to do something to regain control of the conversation and the situation at hand. "Guys!" Barry shouted, unsuccessfully making any impact. "Guys!" he shouted again. He stood up and shouted once more, but his actions weren't given any response. "Hewwo... hey... Wisten to me, guys!"

Thankfully, Penny's entrance eased the situation.

She paused for a moment at the door, taken aback by the view of Sheldon and Leonard rolling around on the floor in the midst of a fight with Barry Kripke attempting to break them apart .She blinked a couple of times to make sure that her eyes were not deceiving her.

Sure enough... they were still fighting.

Barry had made eye contact with Penny, acknowledging her presence and rushed over to the door to greet her.

"I heard shouting from my apartment and came over to make sure everything was fine," Penny explained as she shut the door. Her eyes lingered on Kripke. What was he doing here? What was going on?

"Hewwo, I'm Bawwy," he said, introducing himself to Penny. She shook his hand and nodded in acknowledgement.

"I remember," she said, breaking the shake. "We met last year - you serenaded me with a version of 'Woxanne' on 'Wockband' before you and Doctor Doom over there had a falling out. Remember?"

Barry's cheeks tinged pink as he recalled that moment, brushing his hand through his hair as he apologized. "Obviouswy picking a song about a pwostitute wasn't the best way to make a first imprwession."

 

"Probably not," she said, lazily. She watched on as Leonard and Sheldon rolled on the floor. "Though looking back at it... It was nice to have someone other than me sing as they played their game. Raj tends to freeze up when I am around."

Barry nodded as he moved out of the doorway to let Penny into the apartment; her eye contact fixated on Sheldon and Leonard's fight on the floor. As she moved closer to the couch it was clear that neither Leonard nor Sheldon were aware of her presence, especially when she sat down. It took Barry's return to his seat in the side chair and a coughing sound to get the attention of Leonard and Sheldon. They paused for a moment as they stood up and looked at each other, brushing their clothes back into place. One glance back to Barry and Penny, and they immediately returned to the couch - Leonard taking victory and sitting in Sheldon's spot to keep up appearances.

In the years that Penny had known Leonard and Sheldon she had grown accustomed to their odd quirks and rituals. For the first time in months, however, she wasn't sure what was going on.

"Dare I ask even what that was?"

"They were settlwing an ahgument fwom earlwier at the university," Barry quickly interjected, doing his best to keep up the facade. "The newest issue of the Gween Wantern comic came out this week and they were debating the merwits of the charwactors. Hoffstadah and Coopah couldn't agree and they got wather emotional and stahted to fight one anothah."

Penny blinked her eyes twice and shrugged - leaving the boys to wonder if she believed their lie.

She did, however, Penny's inquiry into Barry's sudden reappearance into Sheldon's social circle caught all three boys off guard.

Barry's presence was a blessing to Sheldon and Leonard because he was able to handle the questions with ease. He explained to her that he was there to discuss Sheldon and Leonard's involvement in the new experimental piece of equipment - how he felt they were prime candidates to work with the machine and felt that he would be happy to have them involved. As Penny's eyes glazed over from the technobabble and complicated science, she tried to move the conversation back to something more familiar for her. She switched the conversation to talking about her day - how she was able to work the bar for a few hours during Happy Hour and brought in more tips. With the extra money she felt relieved for her trip back to Nebraska later that summer.

The conversation continued on for several minutes, with Sheldon unable to sit still. He got up from his spot on the couch and made his way into the kitchen. It was clear to him that this was all too much so soon, and lying to Penny was getting harder and harder as each of the lies continued to build upon each other. He made a motion for Leonard to follow him, clearing his throat loudly. When that didn't work, he requested his presence by the refrigerator. Confused, Leonard excused himself from the conversation.

"What is wrong with you now?" Leonard asked in a hushed whisper.

"I can't do this any more," Sheldon said, giving a look over to Penny and Barry on the couch, sighing under his breath. "This entire situation has gotten out of control and I cannot keep up this charade."

Leonard gave a quick glance back to Penny, who was clearly still enthralled with whatever Barry was telling her. He then turned his attention back to Sheldon - staring at his former self and tried to shake the negative thoughts from his mind about never returning to his body.

"Sheldon, what are you doing?" he asked, frustration showing through in his voice. "She hasn't been here even five minutes and you're already cracking?"

"Penny is our friend and she deserves to know the truth. It isn't right that we are lying to her, especially when this transformation could be permanent."

Leonard shook his head, giving his friend confidence that things would be fine. Kripke had already explained that whatever happened to them had a strong possibility of being reversed once the machine was fixed - but his words were falling upon deaf ears. Sheldon had been and would always be a terrible liar, Leonard knew that he wouldn't be able to flow with the plan.

Frustrated with Sheldon, Leonard grabbed a water from the fridge and made his way back to Sheldon's spot on the couch. He watched as Sheldon dragged his feet slowly upon the wood floor, fighting his feelings of coming clean to Penny.

"Penny, I need to tell you something," Sheldon said as he sat down next to her. "It is very important."

Penny looked up. "What is it, Leonard?"

"I have to come clean with a secret," Sheldon paused as he looked at Leonard with a don't you dare try to stop me look. "I am not Leonard."

"You're not Leonard?" she repeated.

"I'm Sheldon."

Penny opened her mouth to speak and found no words coming out. She turned to look at who she thought was Sheldon on the couch and raised her eyebrow for a little bit of help, for some clarification. It was Barry who finally broke the awkward silence and clarified things.

"He is telwing the twuth," he said, reassuring her - though not certain how much it would help after everything she had witnessed so far in the afternoon. "What I said earlwier was mostwe twue. Coopah and Hoffstadah are involved in my pwoject, but they ah morah of the experwiment than those dowing the experwiment."

Penny's face remained unchanged, staring incredulously at all parties involved. She listened as Barry explained the rest of the story with the laboratory accident and filled in the details that he had left out before. As he further plunged into the details, Penny's face scrunched up further with confusion; she was uncertain if they were actually telling the truth.

Something had to be done.

Penny got up from the couch and approached Sheldon's desk, digging through the top drawer for something. She grabbed a pack of post-it notes and two pens and joined the boys by the couch.

"I'm wanting to believe your story, but it all seems too weird and out there - even for you guys," she explains, handing Sheldon and Leonard a post-it note a piece and a pen. "I need you to show me that it's true. I want you to answer a question that only one of you will know the right answer to. Prove me wrong... "

She watched their mannerisms closely, trying to see if either one was more obvious in their new skin. She watched as Sheldon twitched in his spot, different now in the body of his friend and nervous of being discovered. She then turned her attention to Leonard, sitting in Sheldon's spot and remaining calm. She shook the thoughts form her mind, the ones that affirmed their story. She just couldn't believe it yet - she had to confirm it.

Penny took in a deep breath before she spoke. "You both remember when I fell in the shower and dislocated my shoulder?"

Both boys nodded.

"Sheldon and I had a conversation about my tattoo, specifically what the symbol translates to in English. Write down that answer on the post-it note I gave you."

Penny watched as Sheldon and Leonard wrote down their answers on their post-it notes, waiting a few seconds before joining them once again on the couch.

She looked directly at Leonard first, sitting confidently in Sheldon's spot. He knew what the tattoo meant - he dated her after all. "Tell me what you said my tattoo means."

Leonard cleared his throat as he showed her his answer. "Courage."

Penny felt the color drain from her face as she turned to Sheldon. There was no way this could be happening, right?

"And you, Leonard?"

Sheldon cleared his throat and held up his post-it note. "Soup."

"Holy crap..." Penny trailed off, eyes widened. She took two steps backward and nearly tripped over Barry's legs in the chair. She rubbed her eyes and looked again, their post-it notes still clearly saying the answer she was not hoping to hear. She turned back to face Barry, looking for some clue as to what it all meant. She felt so confused - the science stuff clearly so over her head.

She took a deep breath to calm down and walked back over to Leonard and Sheldon on the couch, finally having some understanding as to their weird behavior. What she perceived as Leonard's twitchiness and Sheldon's acceptance of her sitting so closely, when it was usually the other way around. How Barry Kripke suddenly reappeared into Sheldon's social circle...

"So what happens now?"

She curled up into Leonard's side, feeling Sheldon's long and lanky limbs wrap around her. It was familiar, yet very foreign. Somewhere in there, she assumed, was Leonard. More lost and confused than she was because he was actually going through this ordeal.

"We're gowing to fix the machine," said Barry. "Until then, these two have to put on a good face and pwetend to be one anothah. Cwearwe, we have a wot of work cut out fah us in the days ahead because they couldn't even wast five minutes."

"We have another problem to account for," Leonard said, looking across at Barry and then to Sheldon. "In the midst of panic, I completely forgot that my grant gala is in two days. Will the machine be fixed by then so we can switch back to our old bodies?"

Barry shook his head. "It will take atweast two or thwee days to get the pahts orwdered, wet alwone get the wabor done. I wouldn't expect the machine to be weady until five days frwom now at the earlwiest."

"Wonderful," said Leonard sarcastically. "As if today couldn't get any worse..."

Barry shrugged. "From the wooks of thing, you're either going to have to cancel or send Coopah in your place."

Sheldon's eyes widened as he looked over at the group from the far end of the couch. "Me? Me? Me!?" he stammered. "Why me? I detest those sorts of things."

"It's our only option right now, Sheldon," Leonard said, though deep down he didn't want Sheldon to go in his place either. "It's a very important event for me and the university."

Sheldon rolled his eyes and huffed. "I'm not even allowed to attend according to Gablehauser," he explained. "The man thinks that I set a bad example for the donors and they'll take their money from the university and give it somewhere else."

"Which is why you have to go in my place!" Leonard assured Sheldon. "I cannot go in my current condition - the university needs money for my research so I can stay employed."

"That sounds more of a problem you need to fix," Sheldon said shortly, pressing all of Leonard's buttons in the right way.

"Don't you get it? You're me and I am you. And until this machine gets fixed we have to do this."

Three sets of eyes rested on Sheldon, making him more uncomfortable, pressuring him in to doing one thing that he didn't feel like doing. "Alright," he finally said. "But if you don't get your grant money, don't blame me."

********

**Chapter 03**

After an hour of negotiation, it was decided that Sheldon would attend the Grant Gala in Leonard's place - much to both Leonard and Sheldon's chagrin. Leonard reassured Sheldon that his research and time working at the university depended on this grant. If we were unable to find funding, Sheldon would have to find another roommate and reorganize his routine.

Sheldon soon changed his tune.

 

Barry and Penny plotted with the boys to create an almost fool-proof plan. Penny was to attend the Grant Gala as Barry's date, helping to assist Barry as he kept Sheldon in line. Sheldon was to attend the Gala as Leonard and work the room long enough to make sure that a few grants would be gifted to the university. Barry would assist Sheldon in his schmoozing of the donors and cut in whenever Sheldon appeared to cross a line, taking over as he wrapped up the conversation.

Penny, meanwhile, was to communicate via text messaging with Leonard, who would be waiting out in his car. She would send updates of how the evening was going and to check-in with him every five minutes.

With thirty-six hours before the Gala, preparations began on the master plan. Barry arrived back to Sheldon and Leonard's apartment at the requested time, but not expecting the conversation that he walked in to. Sheldon and Leonard were in the living room, half dressed in a heated argument. Barry assumed this had been going on for a while, judging by the tone in their voices and clothing. He closed their apartment's door and crept on to the couch, hoping to not get involved or be seen.

"It's bad enough that you have no Friday pajamas, but you also expect me to not shower at my required time?" he watched Sheldon complain to Leonard, looking up at his former body. "It is exactly 8 in the morning. That is the time that I take my morning shower."

"Sheldon you are misunderstanding what I am trying to tell you," Leonard said. "I just don't feel comfortable with you taking my body into the shower and washing yourself."

Barry let out a laugh that was loud enough for them to catch their attention. "Hey Hoffstadah, afrwaid Coopah is going to compare sizes of your wangs or something?"

Leonard and Sheldon both shot Barry a dirty look, but any comment that would have been directed toward Barry was halted with Penny's arrival into the apartment. Penny's braids bounced with every step she took. She had a bright pink box in her hands and headed directly into the kitchen.

"Good morning," she said, cheerfully. "I brought donuts for breakfast so we could get going."

Leonard raised his eyebrow at Penny, not used to seeing her so cheerful before 9am. "You seem more enthusiastic than usual in the morning."

Penny grinned from ear-to-ear. "How often do I get the chance to act out 'My Fair Lady?'" she asked, smirking as she looked to Sheldon. "You, dear will soon be made into a proper lady, Ms Doolittle."

Sheldon looked down at his feet, then back over to Penny. "Charming," he said without much enthusiasm. "Laugh it up while you can. When I am returned to my actual body you will properly experience my wrath."

Penny's eyebrow raised in wonder as Sheldon pressed his fingers to his temples and squinted his eyes. His futile attempt to blow up Penny's brain left much to be desired; Penny ignored Sheldon's hollow threat and turned her attention back to the donuts. She opened the lid on the box and pulled out a donut and then headed to the living room to join Barry on the couch.

"Did I miss anything?" she asked Barry, taking a bite.

He turned to her and shrugged. "I walked in just a few minutes beforah you did," he said. "Coopah and Hoffstadah were in the midst of an awrgument about showerwing... and then you came in thrwough the doorah."

Penny nodded, then watched as Sheldon took off for the bathroom. Leonard grabbed two donuts out of the box and joined Penny and Barry in the living room. Leonard took the opportunity to sit in Sheldon's spot, utilizing his predicament as reason and enjoying it while it lasted. He handed Barry his donut and skipped the small talk.

"Did you manage to check out the machine again?" Leonard asked.

Barry nodded, finishing his bite. "I did. I made a wist of all the pawts we would need to fix it. Most can be picked up in downtown Wos Angelwes, but I had to ordah some off of the intahnet."

Leonard winced as he heard the news. "Would it help you if I were to leave for a few hours and pick up the parts?"

Barry nodded again, pulling the list from his pocket. "Definitewy. Penny and I are going to be working with Coopah on getting him weady for the Galwa event. Not sure if you want to stick arwound for that?"

"That would be a no," Leonard said, grabbing the parts list from Barry. "You guys can have all the fun. I'll go make myself scarce while you tame the shrew."

Leonard got up from the couch and made his way toward the back bedrooms, leaving Barry and Penny alone on the couch waiting for Sheldon to return from the bathroom. Barry turned his attention toward Penny.

"So what is the pwan for Doctor Bizarrwo?" Barry asked. "How do we get Coopah weady for the Galwa tomorrow night?"

"Easy," Penny stated matter-of-factly. "We're going to start from scratch and give Sheldon a crash course on proper schmoozing techniques."

Barry nodded, urging Penny to continue.

"It will be just like in 'My Fair Lady' - we will teach Sheldon as quickly as possible the main techniques and tricks he will need to know to secure grants for Leonard. Teach him proper conversations, mannerisms and maybe snazz up his style."

Penny's smile was wide, literally beaming from ear to ear. Barry could see that she was very excited for this opportunity, but wasn't quite sure if she understood just how much of a challenge this would be to complete. She had never been to a grant Gala before and seen Sheldon in action.

Before Barry could open his mouth and refute Penny's idealism, Sheldon returned from the bathroom. Penny let out a laugh as she saw Sheldon's attempt in dressing as though he was in his old body - layering Leonard's clothing and attempting to work with Leonard's hair. Exposed to too much humidity, the curls of his hair had frizzed and he was starting to poof.

"Not my best attempt at dressing, but at least it's something I can feel comfortable about in this new body," Sheldon said as he took a seat with Barry and Penny. "Still having a hard time adjusting to the view, however. I had forgotten how difficult it was to be this small when I was a child."

Sheldon looked over at Penny, who was smiling evilly and rubbing her hands together. "Shall we get started then?"

Sheldon gulped. "Ready when you are."

Penny told Sheldon to sit tight as she stood up from the couch and looked around the apartment for one of the white boards Sheldon used to write equations. She gestured for Barry to grab the easel from behind the corner desk while she took the white board from the top of the trunk. Sheldon grimaced as Penny erased the little scribbles from the board, but was met with a glare from Penny as he opened his mouth to say something.

Barry handed Penny a marker from the desk and sat back down the couch. Penny began to write hurriedly on the board, laying out their instruction plan for the day.

1) Basic Introductions.  
2) Proper Party Conversation.  
3) Do's and Don'ts.  
4) The Plan.

Penny glanced at her watch to check the time, writing it on the white board. It was just after 9am, giving them a solid 8 hours of crunch time before Penny had to leave to go to work. "Four subjects, eight hours," she stated. "An average of two hours each if we choose not to eat or take breaks. It will not be easy, but I love a challenge. Sheldon, we will get you ready."

Sheldon's face winced as he looked over the board. "Basic introductions? Dos and Donts..." he read, shaking his head. "Penny what exactly are you trying to do here?"

"Barry and I are going to unteach and reteach everything you need to know for the function tomorrow night. Forget everything that you have learned in the past. It's a crash course to make sure you can pass as Leonard and get one or two people to fund his research."

 

Turning around from the board, she pointed at each bullet point and explained to Sheldon what each point would entail. With basic introductions, she would teach Sheldon the proper methods of shaking hands and introducing himself and his work. In this section, she explained that Barry would play the part of the generous donor and Sheldon would role-play as Leonard.

She then moved on to explain point two, which would be proper party conversations. Barry would prepare a list of questions to ask Sheldon and see how he would respond to each question. Penny would immediately correct improper behavior if Sheldon were to get out of line. She then would move on to Dos and Don'ts, a brief run-down of what etiquette was appropriate for the function and which behaviors would be best checked at the door.

Finally, she would conclude with The Plan - the part of the crash course where she and Barry would lay out all of the details for the evening. She assumed, by then, that Leonard would return from picking up the parts for the machine and the four of them could collaborate on the specifics.

"Shall we begin?" Penny asked at the end of her explanation.

Sheldon nodded. It was going to be a very long afternoon

 

***************

 

**Chapter 04**

For as long as Leonard could remember - he always wanted to be tall.

Growing up through school he was always the shortest boy in his class. He found solace with his situation through fourth grade that he was at least taller than the girls - but the fifth grade class picture changed that. He cringed as Ashley Lawson was finally placed ahead of him in line, proving that he was the shortest person in his class. He was mildly encouraged as he started to grow at the beginning of middle school, but was disappointed that he stopped after he had passed just five-and-a-half feet.

There were a few birthdays growing up that Leonard wished that his mother could be more feeling toward him. But there was that one year at age 15 that he wished he could grow just a few more inches in hopes of at least being average height.

In a semi-twisted way Leonard felt that his wish was finally coming true.

 

Leonard thought about his past and its related circumstances to his present situation. He considered it one of those "be careful what you wish for" moments - he did, indeed, get it in the end. The adjustment to Sheldon's body hadn't taken more than just a matter of minutes, and it was amazing to see the world just nine inches taller. When he looked at Sheldon in his former body, Leonard saw just how being short was a detriment to his confidence and self-esteem. But at nearly six feet three inches, Leonard had a different perspective on life.

He found that people took him more seriously - a strange feeling of confidence taking over his mannerisms and attitude. He felt like people took him seriously as he walked through Los Angeles to get the parts Barry requested for the machine. Perhaps he was more like a man because he felt like a man, instead of an adult stuck in the body of a pre-pubescent boy.

Sure Sheldon's body wasn't the first choice he would have had if he were tall. He always admired the way Timothy Dalton strutted on screen as James Bond. He remembered watching "Licence to Kill" and thought how cool it would be to have just eight inches taller and have the confidence and charisma Dalton had on screen. Everyone picked a Bond - some chose Connery because he was the original, and others chose Moore because he was in the most number of films. But Leonard chose Dalton because he wanted to literally be his version of Bond - tall, confident and a 100% certified badass, the opposite of how Leonard perceived himself.

 

His obsession with height crossed into other genres. He found a kindred spirit in DeForest Kelley's Leonard "Bones" McCoy on Star Trek. He was happy that someone shared his name and personality traits, plus was his ideal height of 5'10". During recess he would play pretend with his two grade school friends; he would be McCoy and join his buddies playing Kirk and Spock as they explored new planets and adventures in the sandbox. Years later, he was most surprised with Karl Urban's casting in the revival movie, especially since he was so fond of his work in Lord of the Rings, where he loved the Elves as much as Eomer.

 

Leonard's musings on his past were interrupted as the cashier in the parts store brought him back to reality.

"Sir, I said your total was $78.84," the cashier said.

Leonard blinked for a moment and realized that he had gotten lost again in his thoughts. He reached into his pants pockets for the cash that Barry had given to him earlier that afternoon and placed it on the counter.

"Feel free to keep the change," Leonard said with a smile, stranding tall and proud.

The cashier smiled, putting Leonard's $1.16 back into his drawer and thanking him as he handed him his bags.

Leonard sung the chorus of Randy Newman's "Short People" as he walked back to his car. As much as he wanted to return to his old body, perhaps being trapped in Sheldon's wasn't such a bad thing for a few days.

_Short People got no reason  
Short People got no reason  
Short People got no reason  
To live_

***********

 

**Chapter 05**

With Leonard off picking up parts for the machine, Penny embraced the opportunity to work on Sheldon's re-education in proper etiquette. She asked for Barry's assistance in with the first lesson - role playing.

"The most important lesson I've learned so far in my acting classes is role playing - where you become the character and act out the scene," explained Penny. "Barry and I going to do this to show you the proper methods of introduction. Then, you will get up here and try it out for yourself."

"I see," Sheldon said as he thought for a moment, his face turning into a frown. "I'm taking acting advice from someone whose resume consists of a one-night production above a bowling alley with no audience and a non-speaking background character in a tampon commercial."

Penny knew before she began that this wouldn't be an easy task - but didn't anticipate Sheldon could be this disagreeable. "But you are acting because you have to play the role of Leonard during this event," she explained. "And right now I am all you have to make sure you don't blow this for your friend."

Sheldon began to open his mouth in response, but closed it to prevent any further drama with Penny. As much as he hated to admit it - she did have a point.

"I am certain that you're aware that the most important thing that a person can make is a first impression, yes?" Penny asked. Sheldon nodded. "And that it is very rare for someone to have the opportunity to make a second impression?"

Sheldon nodded again.

"This means that you will have one shot with these donors to make sure that Leonard gets the donations he needs to fund his research," Penny explained. "And it is my goal to show you how to make an excellent first impression."

Penny turned her attention to Barry. "In this scenario, you will be portraying one of the donors, while I will be Sheldon." Barry frowned as he realized that Penny would be playing Sheldon.

Penny was proud that she could finally share her talents with her friends. She moved a few steps back from Barry, and set the mood for the scene. She informed Sheldon that this would be a scene of all of the things he was doing incorrectly at Gala functions in the past. She had mused over the feedback from Leonard and Barry and felt she understood where he was making his biggest mistakes.

Penny cleared her throat and called the scene into action. Her movements were exaggerations of Sheldon's movements - the slight way he carried himself when he walked and his twitching as he approached someone to talk about something. Penny held out her hand to Barry and introduced herself as Sheldon; Barry followed suit and played the part of the donor seeking to give his money to the university. Penny waited a moment and went into a Sheldon-inspired rant, only stopping when Sheldon called shenanigans.

"My word, Penny!" he shouted from the couch. "You are insinuating that I am this obnoxious and awkward at these functions?

Barry and Penny glanced towards one another and nodded, suppressing their laughter as best as they could. It wasn't enough and Penny let a few giggles escape.

"Very well then," Sheldon said cooly. "Let me try and prove to you that I can do this."

 

Sheldon got up from the couch and joined Barry and Penny by the white board. Penny instructed him on where to stand and what the mock greeting would entail. Sheldon was to act exactly as he normally would in this particular scenario; Penny and Barry would grade him afterward and progress from that starting point on what would most likely be a very long first session.

Penny called the scene to action. Sheldon mimicked Penny's actions from earlier, but still found it difficult to walk and move around in Leonard's body. He was now eye-level with Barry as he shook his hand, introducing himself.

"Good evening, Sir. I am Shel-" he caught himself, cringing as he attempted rectify his mistake. "-Leonard Hoffstader. And who might you be?"

Barry held out his hand to Sheldon as an invitation to shake it while he introduced himself. "My name is Thurston Howell III and this is my wife, Wovey." Barry gave a nod over to Penny, who approached Sheldon and gave a quick hello. Barry's hand was still out for Sheldon to grab, but Sheldon didn't make any moves. Penny, seeing this as a great learning opportunity, halted the scene to instruct Sheldon of where he was making his first mistake.

"You came on a bit strong, but it can be seen as enthusiastic," she explained. "However you need to grab someone's hand and shake it when it is offered."

Sheldon looked down at his own hand, and then to Barry's hand. Sheldon watched as Barry inched his hand forward slightly, a way to let Sheldon know that it was okay for him to touch it. Sheldon nervously raised his hand and saw Leonard's plump and nubby fingers reach out towards Barry's hand, but pulled back.

"It isn't sanitary to shake hands. I don't know where they have been," Sheldon complained. He wiped his hands on his pants and looked at Penny for an answer, almost pleading with his eyes that he didn't want to do it.

"You need to do this," she urged sympathetically. "If it calms your fears you can justify that they're not really your hands. They're Leonard's hands. And whatever happens it will not affect you."

Sheldon raised both of his hands and wiggled the fingers in front of his face. As he squinted through Leonard's glasses he could see what Penny was saying. He wasn't in his own body and he had to play the part fully or he wouldn't be convincing. He knew that he had to reach the far limits of his comfort zones to make this happen - but he still wasn't happy with the charge. Switching bodies. Losing his seat on the couch. Attending benefits for research he doesn't even agree with. Role playing on how to perform admirably, telling him where all of his faults were. He wanted to snap, to snip at all of those people who were telling him what to do because he wasn't himself.

And as he glanced at his fingers he began to wonder if he was ever going to make it back to his own body. He shook his head, lost in his thoughts, and tried to focus on the task at hand. He knew that he had to overcome his fear of germs and touching others; he wasn't in his own body - a comforting thought. But then he thought about where Leonard was with his body and cringed. No amount of antibacterial soap and sanitizer could fix the dirt and grime he was certain his body would be returned in.

 

Sheldon took a deep breath, throwing all caution to the wind and going along further into the escapade.

"My name is Leonard Hoffstader," Sheldon said with great confidence, holding out his hand to grasp it into Barry's firm grip and shaking it gently. "It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Howell."

"Wike wise," Barry said. He pulled his hand back and looked at Sheldon. "What are you working on at the uniwersity?"

Sheldon opened his mouth and paused for a moment, uncertain of how to answer. He turned to Penny once again for help.

"Explain to Mr. Howell about what you're doing with the research," she explained. "You'll need to be concise and clear - just a 30 second elevator speech."

Sheldon proceeded to explain Leonard's research, fumbling over his attempts to remain as objective as possible towards the project. He realized that he'd have to prepare some sort of speech to recite in hopes that he wouldn't scare the donors away. Penny counted the time on her watch and let him know when he had progressed along enough.

"Barry and I will be watching from across the room," she explained. "I will come up at get you, ushering you along to the next interested donor, while Barry wraps up the explanation. It may be easier for him to answer questions as they get pressing. We don't want you to slip into some old habits, right?"

Sheldon nodded. He sat back down on the couch. His hands brushed through his hair, the poofy locks getting tangled in his fingertips. He missed his old body, hair, and lifestyle. Suddenly things had just gotten to be more complicated. He missed his old life.

 

His rehabilitation was interrupted by Leonard's reappearance into the apartment. He had returned from his excursion to buy the parts for the atom splicer.

"I believe I got everything from Barry's list," Leonard said as he put the bags of parts down on the coffee table. There were nearly five or six plastic sacks filled with screws, wires, hoses, cords and the tools needed to assemble the machine back together. He handed Barry the list and asked him to double-check that all parts were there.

"How far can you progress with these parts?" Leonard asked as Barry finished verifying the list.

"Most of the damaged pieces I owrderwed off the intwernet were for cosmeticly damaged exterwier pieces," Barry explained. "Most of the cirwcwits and wires are intwernal parts that I can easilwy wepwace without Gablehauser noticing that we did this behind his back."

Leonard nodded, turning his attention to Penny, hoping that her re-education of Sheldon would prove to be better news than he assumed.

 

***********

**Chapter 06**

Penny hummed to herself as she added the finishing touches to her make-up. She gave herself one last look in the mirror before grabbing her handbag to head over to the boy's apartment. Sheldon's re-education had taken nearly all of her energy - but she was certain that he learned enough to make it through a few hours at the function.

She knocked on the door and was greeted by Sheldon wearing the new suit she had bought for Leonard just a few weeks prior.

"You look great Sheldon!" she said to him as she walked in to the apartment.

Sheldon frowned. "I'm still a homunculus."

Penny gave Sheldon a disproving look, ignoring the opportunity to start the same argument from earlier, and instead joined Leonard on the couch as they waited for Barry's arrival. Leonard was frowning in Sheldon's spot, his lankly arms folded across his chest. Penny gave Leonard a look over, realizing just how different Sheldon's body looked when it was in khaki pants and one layer of t-shirt; she couldn't remember the last time she had seen Sheldon's forearms.

Penny slumped into the open spot next to Leonard and placed a hand on his thigh, rubbing gently to break Leonard of his concentration.

"You shouldn't worry about this evening," Penny said reassuringly. Leonard blinked twice and turned his head to face her. "We spent nearly eight full hours preparing him last night."

He shrugged. "Not all the time in the world could teach Sheldon how to be normal."

"Be thankful we weren't going for normal then," Penny said with a smile. "We were just going for a version of him that could be in the company of others for three hours and not blow your big opportunity."

Leonard relaxed a bit, dropping his arms on to his legs as he fully turned his body to face Penny. "You really think it will work?"

"It has to. There are no other options."

Leonard sighed as he watched Sheldon mess with his hair, the way it flopped around his face. He noticed that Sheldon looked extremely uncomfortable in his suit and was clearly out of his element. _"If I get one grant tonight I'll consider it a blessing_" Leonard thought to himself.

A knock on the door startled Penny as Sheldon opened the door. Kripke was there, also dressed in a suit, and was ready to drive the four of them to the event. He walked into the apartment, hands behind his back, and approached Penny on the couch. Penny looked at him with a puzzled face as she looked up at him, watching him bring his hands around front and present her with a corsage. She blushed as he placed it around her wrist.

"You wook smoking hot!" Barry said with a smile. He kissed the top of her hand with the corsage before letting go. "I wanted to get you something to make this night feel more official, plwaying the part."

Penny nodded, feeling a tinge of pink spread across her cheeks. This night was already feeling bizarre - and the events hadn't even started yet.

 

~~~~~~

There was something about the realization of the plan finally being put into motion that made the car ride for all parties involved a little bit difficult to handle. The car was silent, each person feeling apprehensive about their role to play and uncertain what to say to the others until they arrived in the parking lot. One blessing about this experience was that the Gala was held in the banquet room of a local hotel, which left Cal Tech abandoned unoccupied until the next semester began and prying eyes away from the atom splicer laboratory.

As part of the plan, Barry parked his car in a space furthest away from the hotel's entrance, in hopes that no one would notice Leonard in the back of his car texting furiously for updates throughout the night.

"Weady guys?" Barry asked as he took the keys out of the ignition. He turned to look at Penny, who nodded. Then he turned around to Leonard, who nodded as well. All eyes were on Sheldon. He shrugged, letting out a sigh.

"Let the torture begin," he said sardonically. "Don't blame me if this night ends in disaster."

The group groaned, ignoring Sheldon's latest attempt to doom and gloom the events that awaited them.

"So we're all set on the plan then?" Leonard asked as the rest nodded. "I have my phone here ready to text."

Penny reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. "I have charged my phone and I am ready to update you every few minutes on the status of Sheldon's interactions with donors."

Leonard nodded. "And I'll respond quickly with any questions or concerns you may have."

The group disembarked from the car. Barry assisted Penny out of the car, holding his arm out to her for to hold. Sheldon gave one last look to Leonard, and Leonard nodded in approval. The unspoken gesture was clear to everyone; Sheldon was going to do his best but apologized in advance if he screwed up Leonard's hopes at securing a grant.

 

Once inside the banquet hall, Penny grabbed her phone from her purse to let Leonard know they had arrived. She joined Barry at the bar for a complementary glass of wine and they began to plot their strategy. The event was already in full swing. Gabelhauser was circulating the floor schmoozing with the crowd and introducing big donors to the hopeful recipients of their generous gifts.

"Wooks wike Gabwelhauser is awlweady working the flwoor," Barry noted to the others. "This may be good for Coopah to utilwize this opportunity to be intrwoduced to wimit the interwaction initiated by him. The wess he speaks, the better off it may be for our evening."

Penny agreed, taking a sip of her wine. She surveyed the room for a familiar face, hoping that she may recognize someone here. The Gala was filled with a mixture of entrepreneurs and celebrities, each hoping that their gift would provide them a wonderful tax benefit and the ability to make an impact on society.

Gablehauser caught sight of Barry and walked over to the group, all smiles and smelling of cigars and cheap beer. "So glad you arrived Barry." He looked over at Leonard. "Ah Dr. Hoffstader, I was looking for you. Would you mind joining me for a minute? I have a gentleman who is very eager to speak with you about your research."

Gablehauser wraped an arm around Sheldon's shoulder and began to lead him off toward an older gentleman with a receding hairline. Sheldon's eyes widened as he was whisked away, turning to plead for help from Barry and Penny.

Penny grabbed her phone and texted Leonard to let him know that Sheldon had begun his first round of schmoozing. "We should probably follow him to keep a close eye and make sure he doesn't pass out from the stress," Penny noted. Barry agreed, wrapping his arm around Penny's waist and ushering her closely behind Gablehauser and Sheldon as they all approached the man Gablehauser was talking about.

"Dr. Hoffstader, this gentleman is very interested in your work," Gablehauser explained to Sheldon. The gentleman turned to face Sheldon and his eyes widened in surprise as he recognized his face.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Hoffstader," the man said, taking Sheldon's hand and shaking it. "I'm Andrew Ridgeley. I have been following your work and was hoping to discuss it further."

Sheldon stared at the man while he placed his face. He recognized him immediately as the other half of Wham!, the popular duo from the 1980s. His memories flashed back to his sister's bedroom, his face plastered all over the bedroom walls on posters and magazine clippings.

"May I ask what has interested you so much in my research?" Sheldon questioned awkwardly, hoping that he could avoid talking as much as possible.

"Dr. Hoffstader, I have my own entrepreneurial ale company and I was hoping that you could somehow invest some of my profits into an environmental endeavor for me. Dr. Gablehauser explained to me that you're looking to branch out to utilize physics to assist in the environment. I am hoping to make a contribution to society in similar ways that James Cameron assisted with the oil spill clean up in the Gulf Coast spill."

Sheldon shook his head in agreement, uncertain of what to say. He resisted the urge to make an underhanded comment about the quality of Cameron's work and the entire premise of Avatar being silly propaganda. He instead focused on his lessons from the night before, looking to Barry and Penny for guidance as to his next move. He watched as Penny texted on her phone again to Leonard to let him know that Sheldon was making progress.

"That is most generous," Sheldon said finally, returning his attention to Mr. Ridgeley. "I think something like that could be arranged. May I get your personal information so that we may talk off line about this, perhaps at the University when we reopen for the next semester? This place is not the best for discussing business."

Andrew smiled at the suggestion. "I most heartedly agree." He pulled a business card from the inside of his jacket and placed it into Sheldon's hands. "Please do not hesitate to call me, Dr. Hoffstader. I wish to get started on this right away."

Sheldon thanked Andrew Ridgeley quickly, hoping to get back to Penny and Barry just a few feet away. His palms were sweating and he was certain that he was overheating in his suit.

"That was.... interesting," Sheldon managed to stammer out. He was still taken away at how simple it was to possibly secure his first grant for Leonard that evening. He felt himself relax a bit, the pressure waning from his shoulders.

"You did very well," Penny congratulated. "I texted Leonard with the news and he responded back that he was very excited and proud of your progress. As soon as the body switch reversal is complete he plans on calling Andrew Ridgeley back and setting up a meeting."

Sheldon's posture rose and a smile spread across his face. For the first time since the body switch he felt his confidence return to him. He wiped the palms of his hands on pants and surveyed the room once more.

"We have acquired one likely donor for Leonard's research. Can we go now?" Sheldon asked, eying the exit. "Is that good enough?"

Barry shook his head. "You need at weast two or thrwee more donors. We just got here, Coopah. Gwab a dwink and get minglwing!"

 

With no other options, he followed Penny and Barry to the bar. Penny ordered him a beverage ("Just carry it like an accessory," Penny urged. "No need to drink it.") and plotted out the next person for Sheldon to speak with about donations. The Gala room was filling up with donors, and they watched Gablehauser work the floor with grace as he tried to match up project leaders with donations.

It looked like Gablehauser had invited the biggest and brightest names that would be interested in donating to the university. Celebrities with money to burn; entrepreneurs with ideas of ways to aid the University (and their tax relief); and the scientists with money to burn with hopes of collaboration and mention in their research papers. It was the biggest night of the year for the University in regards to donations and ego stroking; anyone with a complex would feel right at home at this event.

It was difficult for Sheldon, however, to break into the socializing aspect of the mingling. No amount of shrimp cocktail or mini quiche could calm him enough to get over his uncertainty as he approached a group of donors already in discussions with his colleagues. He realized as the night wore on that his old body gave him a commanding presence. At over six feet tall he was comfortable enough to approach people; he would be tall enough to be noticed, especially in such a loud suit. In Leonard's body, however, he felt weak. He was shorter than most of the women in the room, making it difficult to get control of a conversation and work the floor for the additional two leads he needed for Leonard.

Sheldon was finally able to work his way up to talk with an elderly gentleman around the age of 70. The man was standing alone against one of the walls, staring off into space and wasn't paying attention. Sheldon coughed a bit under his breath to get the attention of the man, but was ignored. He coughed again, holding out his hand and trying to go through each motion of the cold call greeting that Penny had taught him just 24 hours before.

"Hello, I am Shel-" he paused as he caught himself. "Leonard Hoffstader. I work in the physics department."

The man turned to him and nodded, grabbing his hand. "Milford T. Banks. It's a pleasure to meet you Sheleonard."

Sheldon cringed as the man obviously misheard his name. He shook his hand and then wiped his palm on his pants. "I was hoping to discuss my projects with you in hopes you may be interested in backing my work."

Milford looked at Sheldon blankly, nodding after a few moments. "I see, please continue."  
Sheldon turned to look for Barry and Penny, hoping that they were near by in the event he needed support. The music was playing loudly, and the two of them were chatting with another donor. He made eye contact with Penny, and she pulled out her phone to text Leonard with the latest update of Sheldon's progress.

"I have partnered up with another member in the physics department to work out atoms and their properties," Sheldon explained. "We just received a glorious piece of laboratory equipment and it is simply a sight to be hold"

Milford looked at Sheldon with a frown. "And how would my donation help aid your research?"  
Sheldon gulped, uncertain how to respond. Every time that Leonard explained his work to him, he got a glossy-eyed look on his face and he tuned him out. Milford wasn't as easy to impress as Andrew Ridgeley, making it difficult for him to make another connection. He just needed to gauge the interest of the potential donors, leaving the follow up to Leonard when he returned to his body.

"I... uh..." Sheldon stammered, as he looked around the room for Barry. Once he made eye contact, he gave a pleading look with his eyes. Penny frowned as she saw Sheldon's struggle while she clicked another message in to her phone.

Barry excused himself from his current conversation and made his way over to help Sheldon.

"Hewwo sir," Barry introduced himself. "My associate here alweady intrwoduced himself?"

Milford nodded, looking more unimpressed as Barry spoke to him. "Is there anything I can hewlp you with in wegards to the wesearch we are hoping to accompwish in the next year or so?"

Milford shrugged and looked at the boys with a mixture of displeasure and boredom. "I have heard enough."

Barry grabbed Sheldon as they were dismissed by Milford and they headed back to Penny to let her update Leonard on the progress of their latest donor.

"Pleasant fellow," Sheldon said under his breath. "You can text Leonard and let him know grandpa over there would not recognize talent if --"

"Coopah, pwease. Not everyone is going to be so agrweeable as the first donor was," Barry explained, drinking a sip of his cocktail. "We just need to keep minglwing with the wemaining donors and see if they fit our needs."

Sheldon nodded as they continued to survey the room. With only an hour or so left to go, they had a lot of progress ahead of them.

~~~~~~~~

When the Gala had come to a conclusion, Sheldon and Barry had managed to secure three leads for Leonard's research. Andrew Ridgeley had almost been a gift from Gablehauser, and the duo felt blessed as they rationalized that was the most likely to come through. Barry managed to secure the second lead, utilizing Sheldon's appearance for just 30 seconds to introduce him to the donor; Penny lead Sheldon back to the bar in hopes of Barry securing the lead. The final potential donor was from a woman who wished to use her late husband's estate to help out with the current environmental crisises.

It was a small victory that evening. The trio walked out of the Gala towards Barry's car, finding a very tired and disheveled Leonard waiting outside by the trunk of the vehicle.

"So it's over then?" Leonard asked, to the group as they all piled back inside.

"For now," Sheldon said. "I'm exhausted. I never realized that it was so tiring to be you."

Barry started up the car and headed out of the parking lot.

"Wisten, I wanted to wet you all know that I appwreciate all of you guys working together to make this night happen," Barry said. "We've come a wong way in just a few days to actually see it come to fwuition."

Sheldon and Leonard nodded to one another in the backseat.

"Hey Leonard." Sheldon asked.

"Yeah?"

"I hope this works out."

Leonard turned his head to Sheldon with a puzzled look on his face. "The body switch or the Gala donor leads?"

"Both."

Leonard stared at Sheldon for a few moments, looking for exactly what he wanted to say in that moment. After lying in the back of Barry's car for three hours he felt and looked just as exhausted as Sheldon after he had mingled and worked the room.

"I hope so too."

*****************

**Chapter 07**

The call came two days later during an intense round of Mario Kart.

Sheldon and Leonard were biding their time in the apartment, waiting for the latest updates on the Atom Splicer from Barry. The parts had arrived the day before and it was just a matter of time before their presence would be requested to see if they could return back to their old bodies.

 

"Ready to return back to your body?" Leonard asked as they walked to the laboratory.

Sheldon nodded. "You have no idea...."

 

They greeted Barry once they arrived at the laboratory. He was putting the finishing touches on the machine, screwing the last panels on to the machine and polishing the metal. It was amazing to see the work that Barry had completed in just two days - the machine looked as it did when Leonard and Sheldon had toyed around with the controls just a week before.

"How did the repairs go?" asked Leonard as he stood next to Barry and admired his work.

Leonard looked deeply at the machine, seeing Sheldon's reflection in the metal. He saw piles of wires and parts on the lab table, with little strands of electrical wires poking out from the machine.

"Wepairs took a wittle bit wonger than I anticipated," Barry explained, pointing to the piles. "I have never worked with a machine wike this beforah, which made it difficult to pinpoint the twouble spots."

Leonarded nodded as he pointed to the machine. "Looks like you got it all straightened out?"

Barry wiped the sweat from his brow and rubbed his hands on his knees, wiping off the dirt and grime from the machine. "Mostlwy. I am not sure how you and Coopah managed to have the machine backfirah, howevah."

Leonard looked at the machine and back to Barry, trying to remember the events that took place a week ago. He thought back to the moments before he and Sheldon switched bodies. He remembered sitting in the cafeteria and urging Sheldon to join him as they sought out the new piece of laboratory equipment. He remembered them sneaking into the laboratory and beholding the beautiful machine on the table. Then he remembered how he and Sheldon messed around with the controls, resulting in the over heating and eventual back-firing of the machine.

Leonard attempted to retrace his steps, walking over to where he was turning and twisting the knobs. He tried to recall everything he could about the process, but his mind was still fuzzy - like the missing details were just out of reach no matter how hard he tried.

"I think it had something to do with the controls," Leonard recalled. "Sheldon and I were messing with them before the machine blew up. Do you know what the proper settings are of the machine?"

Barry shook his head, uncertain of the answer. He called Sheldon over to the machine to see if he could help. "Coopah, do you remember what you had the machine set to?"

Sheldon thought for a moment as he approached the machine as he stared at it intently. He adjusted the knobs to what he thought was the proper order - nearly identical to what he had measured the controls to just a week prior. "That should suffice."  
Barry looked at the numbers and shrugged. "That should be about wight for the calwibrwation. Most atoms will start to excite at that temperature, especially when the knobs are having weadings in the orange zone."  
Leonard nodded as he looked closer at the machine. Barry moved around the machine as he pointed out all of the changes that he made to it. He explained in detail how he had to pry the panels off with a screwdriver and hammer since the overheating had caused the access panels to stick. It took him nearly an hour to locate the sources of the singed wire, replacing each one carefully with the parts that Leonard had brought to him earlier in the week. He detailed the process to which he had to clean the machine, and then attempt to put it back together.

"Did we want to trwy a sample item on the plwatform to see if the waser works?" Barry asked. "What did you guy use owringally?"

"Gummy bears from the cafeteria."

Barry frowned as he turned to his attention to his supply backpack. "Would a few Skittles work?"

"I believe so," Leonard thought. "We noticed the outsides were different, just the flavorings were changed. It would be a good medium to try the machine on."

Barry grabbed the bag of Skittles from his backpack. He tore off the top of the wrapper and poured a few in his hands, placing them gently on to the platform. He motioned for Leonard to stand back from the machine while handing him a pair of safety goggles.

"Wets see if this will work," Barry said as he moved the controls. He flicked the switch on the atom splicer to warm it up. A few seconds later the laser shot towards the Skittles and the machine powered down.

Leonard removed his goggles and walked to the platform. His hand hovered above the Skittles and he didn't feel any heat emitting from the candy. Barry motioned for Leonard to pick up the pieces, and after a moment of hesitation he picked them up. It felt strangely familiar to the gummy bears - hopefully they would yield the same result.

"They look fine to me," Leonard said to Barry as he inspected them. "Shall we all take one and try it to see if the flavorings are different?"

Sheldon got up from his chair and joined Leonard and Barry at the atom splicer. "I suppose."

The boys each grabbed a different flavor and put the pieces in their mouths. Leonard grabbed red which should have tasted like strawberry. He smiled when he tasted a bitter lemon flavor from the Skittle. Sheldon's face lightened up when he had his Skittle, with Barry following after.

"Oh sweet jesus, thank you!" Sheldon exclaimed. "Can we please now proceed with getting us back to our bodies?"

Barry nodded. "Sure thing Coopah!"

 

Sheldon and Leonard grabbed goggles from the lab table, placing them over their eyes. They also picked up safety gloves and put them on. Barry instructed Leonard and Sheldon to stand by the platform, each placing a hand on it. If things went according to plan, the laser should fire to the platform, hitting Leonard and Sheldon's hands and returning them to their former bodies.

The machine still had a minute or so to go until it would be ready for the switch; Barry was making sure the calibrations were ready for the event. Leonard looked at Sheldon, to see how he was handling himself.

"Listen, I wanted to say something before we switch back," Leonard said suddenly.

"What is it?"

"Thank you." Leonard was starting to feel a bit nervous and hoped that if something were to happen in the next thirty seconds that his gratitude would have been expressed. "It means a lot to me that you went to the Gala in my place, especially after this whole event was caused by my curiosity over this machine."

Sheldon looked at Leonard, staring intently at his body. Soon he would hopefully be returned to his former self. "You just remember that the next time I ask you a favor."

Before Leonard could make a retort, Barry flipped the switch on the atom splicer. The machine hummed loudly and the laser shot off towards the platform. It struck Sheldon and Leonard with such intensity that it caused them to be flung backwards across the room. Barry ran toward them, reaching Sheldon's body first.

"Coopah?" he asked.

Sheldon got up from the floor, rubbing his ungloved hand on the back of his head. He felt short hair on the top of his head. He looked down at his legs and saw plaid pants and white tennis shoes. He held his hands in front of his face and smiled at the sight of his long and lanky fingers and limbs.

"You did it, Kripke!" Sheldon exclaimed.

Barry smiled as he held out his hand to help Sheldon up from the ground. Once Sheldon brushed himself off, they walked across the room to Leonard to make sure that he was fine, especially since they hadn't heard a word from him. They found him sitting on the floor, upright, staring intently at his feet.

Sheldon attempted to open his mouth, but was halted when Leonard held up a hand to stop him.

"I'm all right," Leonard said reassuringly. "I just needed a moment to reflect and take it all in."

Leonard propped himself up from the floor and smiled as he looked up at Sheldon. "Never thought that I'd be so happy to look up at you and see your face."

Sheldon's face looked as though he had eaten a stale cheese puff. "I will be happy to never hear you say that again."

***********

**The Epilogue.**

Penny was sitting nervously on the couch in Leonard and Sheldon's apartment. In the midst of the excitement, their cell phones had been left behind - leaving Penny uncertain as to the current status of the body switch. She flipped idly through the channels on the television, but was unable to find anything to watch to distract her mind from the impending arrival of Sheldon and Leonard from the University. Her thoughts raced as she checked the clock for the umpteenth time in the last ten minutes; what if the processed had failed?

Her heart skipped a beat as she heard the door open, Sheldon and Leonard deep in a conversation about something she couldn't follow. They appeared to be normal to her, but she couldn't tell right away if the switch had worked.

She got up from the couch and greeted the boys.

"Well?" she asked. "Did it work?"

Sheldon and Leonard stopped talking and walked toward her. She looked at them intently and noticed a smile spread across Leonard's face.

"Of course it did," he said.

Penny took two steps towards Leonard and wrapped her arms around him. "Welcome back, sweetie." She lightly kissed his forehead and broke away from the hug. She then turned her attention to Sheldon.

"Happy to be back to your body?" she asked.

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "What kind of question is that? Of course I am. The last week has been a complete nightmare."

Penny nodded. Yep. Typical Sheldon. "So did you guys learn anything from this?"

Leonard plopped down on the couch in Sheldon's spot, but promptly moved when Sheldon grumbled under his breath. "I learned that I will never use lab equipment until I have been properly trained."

Penny smiled as she turned to Sheldon. "Anything you learned?"

Sheldon looked intently at Penny, making sure he chose his words properly. "I learned that Leonard should be grateful to have me as a friend. Now if you will excuse me, I want to take a shower and wash my bed sheets."

Penny and Leonard looked at each other as Sheldon stormed off to his bedroom, breaking into laughter

"Same ol' Sheldon," Penny noted, resting her head on Leonard's shoulder. "Guess we can't expect a miracle."

"I guess not," Leonard grinned. "Though looking back at this situation I'm reminded of the Latin phrase - Lorem Ipsum."

Penny raised her head from Leonard's shoulder to look at him directly. "What does that mean?"

"Lorem Ipsum," Leonard repeated. "It's a Latin placeholder text used in publishing. The name, Lorem Ipsum roughly translates to... Pain Itself."

Penny nodded. "It seems strangely appropriate."

Leonard thought for a moment. "Want to grab something to eat and we'll talk about the switch back?"

Penny checked her watch and shook her head. "I hate to leave you like this but I need to get back to my apartment and get ready for my date tonight. We'll catch up tomorrow?"

"No problem. Who is the lucky guy?"

"Barry," Penny said as they booth stood up at the couch. "We thought we'd try something without having to baby sit you two."

Penny gave Leonard a hug before she headed out the door, leaving Leonard alone in the living room. He heard the shower click on and decided to enjoy the silence before Sheldon emerged from the bathroom on a tirade about something inane. He plopped his body into the cushions of the couch and was comforted by the familiar feel of the way his legs barely touched the floor when he sat fully back and upright.

Leonard slouched a bit and laid his head upon the back of the couch, looking at the apartment ceiling. In that moment he finally felt his body relax for the first time in a week.

"Lorem Ipsum, indeed."


End file.
